The Loadout Room
Menu
  • Shooting
        • Pistol
        • Pistol Accessories
        • Rifle
        • Rifle Accessories
        • Shotgun
        • Machine Guns
        • Air Guns
        • Ammunition
        • Optics and Sights
        • Weapon Lights
        • Tips & How-To
        • Concealed Carry
        • Holsters
        • Suppressors
        • Precision Rifle Shooting
        • Firearms Training
        • 1A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686
        • The Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventuresThe Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventures
        • maxim defense cqb stock (8)The Maxim Defense CQB Stock: Short and Sweet
        • Perfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG wayPerfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG way
    • Close
  • Gear Reviews
      • Mission Gear
      • Camping Gear
      • Survival Gear
      • Medical Gear
      • Adventure & Travel
      • Knives & Tools
      • Overland
      • Disaster Preparedness
      • Footwear
      • Womens Gear & Clothing
        • RIP-MVehicle Preparedness: Fast access to essential items | Grey Man Tactical RIP-M
        • Midland radioOverland Essential | Midland Radio MXT275 | GXT1000
        • ppGrab your gear and go | Here’s everything you’d need to build an adventure go bag
        • Scrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the fieldScrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the field
    • Close
  • Men’s Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • EDC
      • Eyewear
      • Watches
      • Electronics & Technology
      • Downtime
      • Mens Clothing & Accessories
      • Manly Skills
      • Style & Grooming
      • Gentleman Drinks
      • Crate Club
        • The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stingerThe Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger
        • How to determine how long you have before the sun setsHow to determine how long you have before the sun sets
        • fireWilderness survival expert breaks down how to build a fire
        • 5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt, SWAT Tested and Approved
    • Close
  • News
  • Video Demo
  • Shop

Interview with a Patchmaker: Megaton Morale

Morale patches

March 7, 2019 by Jens "Rex Nanorum" Hammer Leave a Comment

After this year’s SHOT Show, I put up a small article covering some of the best Morale Patches I’d found while walking the floor of the convention center.  The article did considerably better than expected, showing that the patch addiction may have spread further than epidemiologist’s may have initially thought.  At the behest of Vince Vega (one of the admins of the Motivation Patch Black Market, a Facebook group dedicated to the buying, selling and trading of morale patches), the idea for a follow-up article was concocted.  Vince introduced me to the owner of Megaton Morale, a patch designer/seller.  Below you’ll find the words that were exchanged on that fateful day.

Interview with a Patchmaker: Megaton Morale

1) Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Jason Gray (Grayson Jay on Facebook) and I am the owner of Megaton Morale. I
have been a member of the Motivational Patch Black Market since early 2015 and have been
collecting morale patches since 2014. I enlisted in the Air Force in 2005 and still serve to this
day.

2) How did you get started in the patch making world?

My journey into the maker side of patches has been filled with a great deal of trial and error. In
the Spring of 2015, I decided to try to make a few bucks to help fund collecting and it was a
huge bust. I ended up giving away most of the patches I made. I learned that designing,
making and selling patches was not as easy as it looked and decided to focus on just collecting.
Later in 2015, I decided to take another crack at making with another design and failed again.
Despite multiple failures, I had my first successful design in the winter of 2016 where I released
the Freedom Frag! Eventually, the Freedom Frag transpired into a series of multiple designs
which is still produced to this day.
Even though I had a lot of trouble trying to find a genre the morale patch community liked, it was
the community itself, specifically the members of Motivational Patch Black Market that inspired
me to keep on driving. The journey did cost me a lot of time and money, but I would change
none of that if given a second chance.

Interview with a Patchmaker: Megaton Morale

3) What are the basic steps in designing a patch?

The first step in any design is formulating an idea. When this occurs, it is important to write
down your idea or do a rough sketch of it to help you remember. Once you have an idea,
asking for input from others is important just to ensure others understand the concept of your
design before you move forward. Once you are set on your idea, this is when the design and
art process begins. Once the design is complete, a computer mockup or vector file needs to be
created/completed to communicate with the machines used. Eventually, you will reach the part
where a sample is produced. The sampling process is where you can fine tune the patch to
ensure you can give the community a good product.

Interview with a Patchmaker: Megaton Morale
Some patches are designed collaboratively, such as this one co-designed with Megaton Morale by Golden Tiger Works

4) Do you design and manufacture your patches in-house, or design them and outsource the construction?

The initial design/concept of a patch from Megaton Morale is done in-house. I then outsource
works to graphic artists to create the design digitally. Once the design is complete, I then
outsource the manufacturing of the design.

Interview with a Patchmaker: Megaton Morale

5) What are the main categories of patches, and what are the pros and cons of each?

Patches can be found in forms such as embroidered, woven, printed, PVC (rubberized) and
various other methods. Each type of patch does have pros and cons, but ultimately the
collector gets to determine what they like.

Embroidered

  • PROS: Details, (lower) cost, traditional.
  • CONS: (Less) durability, loss of small design details (letters), fade over time.

PVC

  • PROS:  Durability, small details are easily achieved, waterproof.
  • CONS:  Cost, heavy.

Woven/Printed

  • PROS:  Cost, the design is easily achieved.
  • CONS:  Loss of details, no 3D effect.

6) Some of these patches end up being very valuable. What turns a patch into a popular
collectible?

This is a great question! Do not be alarmed if you see a patch on the secondary market
fetching prices in the $100’s or even $1000’s! What determines the price of a patch on the
secondary market is supply and demand. If only 50-100 patches were sold and collectors do
not want to let them go, the price will generally go up!

Interview with a Patchmaker: Megaton Morale

7) If some average joe wants to get some patches made up for a unit or just themselves to
collect and sell, what guidance would you give?

They need to be honest. They need to ensure they are creating their own design and not
violating copyright or intellectual property laws.

 

My thanks go out to Jason for taking part in this interview, as well as Motivational Patch Black Market administrator Vince Vega for setting it up.  Below you’ll find a discount code link for Megaton Morale, good through April 15th 2019.  Check it out!

https://www.megatonmorale.com/discount/LOADOUT

Rex Nanorum

@Rexnanorum

Megaton Morale photos used with permission

Share This

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Megaton Morale, morale patch, Morale Patch Black Market, motivational patch black market, motivational patches, Ranger, Rex Nanorum, SHOT Show patches, unit patch

About the Author

Avatar

Jens "Rex Nanorum" Hammer is an Alaskan Expatriate living in Oregon with his wife and kids. Growing up on commercial fishing vessels, he found his next adventure with the 2nd Bn, 75th Ranger Regt. After 5 tours to Afghanistan and Iraq, he roamed about the west coast becoming a commercial diver, rated helicopter pilot instructor (CFII) and personal trainer before becoming a staff writer with Loadoutroom.com

See All Jens "Rex Nanorum" Hammer Articles

More From The Loadout Room

Comments

What’s Hot

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review
Featured

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review

Why .45ACP is an outdated caliber
Ammunition

Why 45 ACP is an outdated caliber

What Do You Really Need in Your Trauma Kit?
Medical Gear

IFAK - What do you really need?

Firearms

Kel-Tec Sub 2000 Optic Mount head-to-head review between MCARBO and Midwest Industries

AR Build Kits under $300
Firearms Technology

Peak AR: Davidson Defense AR Build Kits under $300

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

In Case You Missed It

Gear Reviews

A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686

October 9, 2019 Leave a Comment

Camping Gear

The MSR Pocket Rocket | Your little camp dragon

October 8, 2019 Leave a Comment

The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger
EDC

The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger

October 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Gear Reviews

A plate carrier for the big boys: AR500’s Testudo Gen 2 is a good pick for large frames

October 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Get it on Google Play

© Copyright 2021 Crate Club Group · All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers